A couple of videos show whales swimming in the sunshine just outside of Deep Cove in North Vancouver this week.
North Vancouver resident Nelson Phillips recorded the videos from his parents' house, which is located up Indian River Drive in North Vancouver. He adds that the area is just off Raccoon Island, and that you can see Twin Islands in the background to the left in the video.
And while Phillips has lived up Indian Arm on the waterfront for over 20 years, he says this was his first time seeing whales that were not orcas go by his parent's house.
"Funny enough, I saw another one today and was able to catch another video," he writes to Vancouver Is Awesome in an email. "Very rare to see and quite special to see two days in a row!"
Phillips adds that he sees seals very regularly as well as otters, and maybe the occasional orca, but that's he's never seen any other whales before yesterday.
Be Whale Wise advises that, "Boats must stay 400 metres from orcas or killer whales in Southern Resident Killer Whales’ critical habitat and in Canadian waters in the Pacific Ocean east of Vancouver Island and south of Campbell River." In addition, "Boats must stay 200 metres from all killer whales in other Canadian Pacific waters and from all whales, dolphins or porpoises if they are resting or with a calf."
Be Whale Wise adds that boaters should use, "the Whale Warning Flag to warn fellow boaters to the presence of whales and be aware of the flag when you’re cruising the area," and also to, "Go slow (<7knots) within 1,000 metres, or a half mile, of killer whales."
For more information on Be Whale Wise guidelines, go HERE.
A recent video captured orcas swimming in the sunshine near Lighthouse Park in Vancouver. In the recording, a boat is seen off in the distance at Juniper Point and an orca surfaces for air. A short while later, a second whale surfaces, and it looks like a delicate spray of mist comes out of its blowhole. View it HERE.
